Mediterranea’(Facebook)
So many of us watch the news and
every other day there’s a story about migrants crossing borders
illegally and dying in their attempt to cross over to greener pastures.
Is the grass really greener on the other side? "Mediterranea" highlights the pain and disappointment of a migrant.
The feature film by Italian filmmaker Jonas Carpignano had its African premiere in Lagos yesterday, Sunday, November 8, 2015 at the opening night of the 2015 Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).
The film follows the life of Ayiva and his best friend Abbas as they leave their home in Burkina Faso for a better job/life in Italy.
Ayiva and Abbas embark on an unpredictable journey.(Facebook)
This film is the
first of Carpignano’s that I’ve seen. The director’s interpretation of
the film from script is brilliant. He pays attentions to the details in
the sense that he gives the audience an idea of Ayiva’s journey every
step of the way.
"Mediterranea" doesn’t just tell
a story, it shows you. The visual grasp of the passage is jarringly
similar to the stories we hear of on the news. The moving picture
showed the travellers course through the desert and caves, a stormy sea
voyage and an ambush from desert raiders. These scenes, the set design
and selected filming locations help set the tone of the tensioned quest.
I don’t know if this film is based a real life story but it sure
highlighted the realities of illegal migration and the horrors the
emigrant faces to get to the so called greener pasture.
Ayiva is a character
we all probably know in real life who no matter what happens he/she
remains hopeful about the future. This is present in his dialogue with
his best friend who at a point in the movie starts to lose hope amidst
the long working hours they work, the squalor they live in and the
racism they have to deal with.
"Mediterranea"
engages the big conversation about migrant issues but from the
perspective of the migrator. It has a message for us all; migrants are
not enemies of the country they’ve moved to. They’ve left their homes
and in many cases their families so they can give their families a
better life.
The best friends are forced to work as fruit pickers to survive. (Facebook)
In many cases, it
turns out they’ve been misinformed. I’m sure you’ve probably heard of
your neighbour’s cousin’s brother’s aunt’s friend who has a great job in
England and is making Pounds. Their Facebook account gives
their friends an impression that they are living a great life, but it
in reality they actually wash toilets for a living. Despite being an
orange picker, Ayiva still makes enough to provide for his family back
home. After tension between the immigrants and locals becomes physical,
Ayiva starts to think it may be time to go home but the responsibilities
of looking after his family have him in a dilemma.
Despite
the film being in French and Italian, it moved me to bits. The
anti-climax at the end of ‘Mediterranea’ was a bit too much to handle.
No spoilers here, go watch the film!
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